Living with MS

As I read the paper "Experiences of African American Women with Multiple Sclerosis" I caught myself nodding in agreement with most of the findings. As an African American woman living...

I am not a fan of spiders. I lose it when they creep into my personal space. All of their eight legs strutting into my business. Of course, I realize...

Way over two decades ago, I was at an early morning hockey practice and kept falling down. Not in the course of any plays or drills, not even with anyone...

Most of the people I encounter from day-to-day in my life only ever get to see the mask I put on to hide the toll multiple sclerosis (MS) is taking...

MS is so unpredictable. This chronic disease often presents mysteries that are quite unsolicited, such as, how I will feel on any given morning. I can retire to bed feeling...

That's right. The title of this article reflects my Body Mass Index or BMI. A BMI of 32, well, that means I am obese. Such an ugly-sounding word. Oh-beese. Hear...

I recently went on a camping trip to the coast—Cape Disappointment in southwest Washington state. Among its many beautiful features stands North Jetty, a 2.5-mile-long “rubble mound” along the north...

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in my early twenties. It didn’t take long for me to realize that a lot of people, particularly in my own age group, had...

If you have progressive multiple sclerosis, either primary (PPMS) or secondary (SPMS), you may be interested in hearing about this hopeful new effort by scientists to repair ongoing MS damage...

Even having a good support system doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes feel like we are fighting this MS battle alone. It can be challenging when friends and family members who...

It was a hot day in July 2007 when I sat registered, signed in, and anxiously awaiting my turn in the spacious, bright lobby of a local neurology office. This...

Popeye the Sailor Man was a comic book and cartoon film icon for decades. One of his signature lines went along the lines of “I am what I am, and...

I remember in childhood seeing the word “cure” used in all kinds of fundraising efforts, including sponsorships and telethons. While raising lots of money, these charities — even the most...

The process of being diagnosed with MS can shatter one’s world. This condition takes up so much of one's thoughts and reality. What starts as a diagnosis doesn't take long...

This article is two in a series about the positives of saying 'yes' to sex after a devastating MS diagnosis. In Part I of this series, I discussed some of...

There are always seems to be the very driven among us. These are the people who knew what they wanted to do at age 4 and never deviated. I was...

Despite being seemingly never-ending, we can view the ups and downs of MS from many perspectives. Being easy to despise, MS holds a broad spectrum of thoughts, feelings, and experiences...

Folks, in light of recent discussions, I want to offer up my own version of painsomnia, that pesky portmanteau that describes a special kind of sleeplessness that only pain can...

Shaped by your medical, social, and family history, a health baseline is continuously influenced by factors affecting your everyday life. Even though some healthcare baseline components are more adjustable than...

After an MS diagnosis, we start out on a journey of navigating life within this new normal. Whether you've been newly diagnosed or find yourself living with MS for quite...